SAN ANTONIO – The 2024 NBA Draft tips off in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday for a two-day event that will see 58 prospects picked. The draft will be broadcast on KSAT 12 beginning at 7:00 p.m.
San Antonio is in a unique position entering this year’s draft with two top-10 picks and four overall.
🏀 @LRam2 will be live from New York as the NBA Draft gets underway. Who do you think the Spurs should draft? @InstantReplaySA https://t.co/MS2xR7QNFk pic.twitter.com/RsYkoGsybV
— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) June 25, 2024
How will the Spurs use their selections to build around the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year and former No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama?
To prepare for the world of possibilities in the draft, Mary Rominger picked ESPN NBA Analyst Jeremy Woo’s brain in a pre-draft interview.
How do the Spurs need to approach the draft in order to maximize Victor Wembanyama’s abilities?
Woo: I think with Victor, one of the great things about him, as a soon-to-be all-star, is his versatility, skill (and) having the size to play multiple positions. The cover that he gives you defensively, you can do a lot of different things. So, I think the biggest thing will be to have good spacing around him (with good shooters).
Who do you see San Antonio targeting at No. 4 and 8? Assuming all goes according to plan and SAS keeps both top-10 picks.
Woo: Some of the names that we’ve been hearing for San Antonio, (is) keeping an eye on Reed Sheppard from Kentucky. If he is there at No. 4, I think he’d be a strong option for them. He’s a very good shooter, (has) room to grow as a point guard (and is) very consistent in terms of his focus and competitiveness, which gets the most out of his tools defensively as a smaller guard. More names to keep an eye on would be Stephon Castle from UConn. He’s a bigger, defensive-minded guard (with) room to grow on offense and as a playmaker, which gives you the type of size and switchability on the perimeter that’s very, very valuable in the NBA. I would also keep an eye on Devin Carter from Providence, another tough, competitive defender, (a) defensive guard who can score. Tidjane Salaun from France who gives you versatility and is a little bit further off from contributing, but (he is) a guy who Victor knows, and I think he would be an interesting fit if they go that route, giving them more athleticism and shooting potential in the front court.
With what you’ve heard regarding prospects the Spurs have been linked to, how much of it is intentional misdirection, rumors and/or true?
Woo: This time of year it’s like a big game of telephone around the NBA. Everyone’s calling each other, everyone’s trying to figure out what’s going on, people are trying to connect the dots behind the scenes. I do think that, in the case of the Spurs, it’s true that they have interests in a lot of different players. I think they’ve had to prepare for a lot of different scenarios, having two picks in the top 10. And there is a good amount of trade interest in both their picks. So they’re going to have options, depending on how it goes. I do think there’s some truth to some of the names that are out there, but who they’re going to land with depends on a lot of factors.
What are your thoughts on San Antonio trading up in the draft or using their selections as leverage in free agency down the line?
Woo: I’m sure they’ve looked at that possibility of trading up to No. 1. I think the nature of this year’s draft is that it’s a little bit weaker at the top. There’s not a lot separating the guy you might take at No. 1 and the guy you might get at No. 4 or 7. If you think that’s true and there’s no one who’s like the ‘true guy’ — there’s no Wembanyama or Zion Williamson — so from that perspective, I think it’s appealing to have more than one swing at it, like to get one or two prospects who you’re comfortable with rather than consolidating to go up. I also think there are going to be options for them to trade back; I do think they want to be competitive in the not-too-far future with a talent like Wembanyama. So, if there (are) opportunities to use these picks to either upgrade the roster or with veterans or to find value with other means — whether a team is going to give you future picks or to move up — I think you have to think about it. What direction they go here, I think a lot of people in (the) NBA are curious and trying to figure that out right now.
Are the Spurs the most interesting team in this year’s draft?
Woo: I do think they’re a team that holds the keys to how the lottery is going to go. Whether they decide to make moves (or) what direction they go, all the teams picking behind them are trying to figure out what San Antonio is doing. I also think the Spurs have become a place where a lot of players would like to play with a generational player like Wembanyama, who makes other guys better and is easy to play with in a lot of different ways. I think players and agents have (an) interest in coming to San Antonio right now to play with him. They’re in a good spot, whichever direction they go.
How could Reed Sheppard and Stephon Castle benefit Wembanyama’s game?
Woo: A lot of teams view Reed Sheppard as the top point guard prospect in this draft. I think the way that he shot it at Kentucky, despite coming off the bench, made a very big impact in the minutes that he got. I think teams value what he brings in terms of his consistency, leadership and toughness; these are all things that are appealing. Even though he’s a little bit smaller for an NBA guard by NBA standards, he’s still a good athlete. He tested well at the combine, and I think the hope is that if you’re going to take him in the top 5, you give him (a) chance to be the lead point guard, to make plays and tap into that more. That’s a guy who particularly teams that are driven analytically look at the stats that he had at the age that he had them in college, and it holds up very well. Stephon Castle is one of the best defenders in the draft at 6-foot-7, he played a big role in UConn’s championship run this year. He can guard all over the perimeter — he can guard guards and wings — because of his size and athleticism laterally. Offensively with Castle, there’s room to grow. He played point guard in high school, has room to make strides, was more of a secondary playmaker in college. I think that may be what his role is in the long term. He has room to improve as a three-point shooter. I think that’s one of the areas of weakness that you’d say right now, for him. But guys with his level of defensive talent (are) hard to find, and finding guys who can slow down some of the dominant wing scorers in the NBA is always hard to find.
Are the Spurs looking to win now or will there be a long developmental period?
Woo: I think it’s just a matter of what the timeline is for the front office. I think Wembanyama is ready to get a team to the playoffs. It’s just a matter of how long does it take to put the team around him in a way that manages the trade assets that they have and allows for their young guys to improve. What’s the best way to do that? Whether it’s this year or next year where they really start to get aggressive, I think it just depends on the market. Is there a star you can get or (a) veteran you can get to bring in to accelerate that? I don’t think it’s the type of situation where you push a button, and you’re suddenly the number one team in the West. But (it is) definitely a very exciting position to be in to have a little runway here to put the right parts in place.
KSAT’s full interview with Woo can be viewed in the video player below:
